Tennis and similar racket



-March 31; 1925.-

E. F. GALLAUDET TENNIS AND SIMILAR RACKET I Filed July 18. 1923 50am q'fg lcmiklr IN VENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 31, 192

UNITED EETATES PATENT. FFICE.

EDSON F. GALLA'UDE'T, or EAST GREENWICH, nnonn rsLANn TENNIS AND SIMILAR RACKET.

Application filed July 18, 1923. Serial No. 652,214.

State of Rhode Island, have invented cer-.

tain new and useful improvements in Tennis and Similar Rackets, oi which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to tennis and similar rackets, and, specificially, to a protective reinforcement or bulls-eye for the strings thereof.

In the case of rackets strung with gut, the stringing rarely has opportunity to wear out, but usually tails through a snapping of astring or of several strings, at one point or another indeterminately, due to some inherent detect in the gut or to the ci'iect of at mospheric moisture.

Strings of silk or other similar fiber, however, when made according to an earlier invention of mine, are moisture proof and will last, and retain their tension, until worn out. The wear is confined almost wholly to what may be called the crests of the strings, where they are bulged outwardly in crossing one another and where primarily they come into contact with the ball; and, while the strings of rackets used by players of average skill will last for a long time, in the hands of experts, who always hit hard and very accurately, the wear on the strings at the center of the head may be quite rapid,

particularly if the play is on a clay or dirt court where the grit picked up by the ball acts as an abrasive.

I have discovered that by lacing the strings through the central portion of the head with an extra cord, which can be renewed as often as required, so as to wrap and cover their crests on both sides of the racket, I can for all practical purposes entirely eliminate the wear of the strings and so. prolong their life indefinitely. Furthermore, such extra wrappings not only firmly secure the strings together at their crossings, rendering unnecessary the extra cord often woven across the strings to hold them in place, but also serve to grip the ball in cut or chop strokes and hence are effective in imparting an extra spin to the ball in strokes where spin is desired.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side view of the head of a racket showing more or less diagrammatically the strings and the extra wrappings which term the protective bulls eye, and Figs. 2

and 3 are enlarged details showing the wrappings as they appear in the form preferred on the two opposite sides of the racket, respectively. I

' As here illustrated the extra cord a with which the square protective bulls-eye is formed, is so laced about the strings as to protect their crests at the crossings with a double wrapping on one side of the racket (Fig. 2), while, on theother side (Fig. 3), the single wrapping which passes directly over the crest of each string is supplemented by slightly lower wrappings on-each side. In this way a wrapping is provided which afiords approximately the same amount of actual wearing surface on each face of the racket.

The cord used for the protective wrappings may be of any suitable material. Wire has been tried'with good results, and gut may be used if desired; but, as at present advised, I prefer and recommend the ordinary enamelled braided silk lacing cord regularly used for the rough and smooth lacings at the point and throat of rackets.

It will also be found advantageous to apply to the wrappings of extra cord the same spar varnish or similar composition with which I impregnate and coat my silk strings, as by dipping the entire head of the racket in the varnish, thus binding the wrappings to the strings and rendering both alike waterproof.

While of special value for use with silk or other fiber strings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to use therewith but is applicable to any kind of string- What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is p Y 1. A tennis or similar racket having it stringing protected against wear by a cord which, throughout the central portion of the racket head, is laced about the strings at their crossings in manner to cover the crests of both strings.

2. A tennis or similar racket having the crests of its strings protected from wear through the central portion at least of the racket head by a double wrapping of cord on one side of the racket and on the other side by a single wrapping flanked on each side by a somewhat lower wrapping.

A tennis or similar racket which has its strings laced with extra cord to provide protective Wrappings on the crests of the strings at their crossings through the central portion at least of the racket head and which has a Waterproofing composition applied to both strings and wrappings.

A tennis or similar racket strung With thoroughly stretched fiber strings Which through the central portion at least of the racket head are protected from Wear at their crossings by Wrappings of extra cord and are rendered Water roof by the applioa tion to both strings an Wrappings of a suit able Waterproofing composition.

5. A tennis or similar racket strung with thoroughly stretched silk strings Which at their crossings through the central portion at least of the racket head are protected from Wear by Wrappings ofextra cord and 20 are impregnated and coated With a hard drying WEItGIPI'OOl'lHg composition.

nDsoN r. GALLAUDET. 

